Three in 10 in South Florida don't have Internet access

A lack of resources — and speedier changes in technology —are deepening the division between rich and poor

April 27, 2011|By Bridget Carey, The Miami Herald

Need help with mortgage payments? Applying for Social Security, a student loan, food stamps or work benefits? Scheduling an immigration services appointment, or just searching for a job? For those in need, Internet access is no longer just a matter of convenience; it's become a staple for survival.

Despite the proliferation of cheaper computers and society's fascination with Facebook, not everyone is wired. As businesses and institutions seeking to save money move more services online, the households that most need assistance may be left in the digital dust.

More than a quarter of South Florida's residents lack regular access to the Internet, surveys say. Some don't have the technical savvy. Others lack the funds for a monthly Internet subscription and a computer.

Programs that provide computers, training and Internet access to these communities have lost funding in the economic downturn. And in South Florida, the issues may be more confounding than in some other places.

"The biggest challenge is here because you see every dimension of the divide here,'' said Rodney C. Adkins, IBM's systems & technology vice president, during a recent visit to his native Miami. "There's an age divide, a cultural divide, a diversity divide."

Once-common Internet cafes have disappeared as the number of residents with in-home and mobile access has skyrocketed. Today, most residents without access head to public libraries, which have trimmed hours nationwide as they face their own budget shortfalls.

Libraries that have escaped the budget ax often close at 6 p.m. — especially if they're located in poor areas.

For locals like Hans Hoffmann, those scant hours make staying connected more difficult.

The 81-year-old retiree doesn't have the money for a computer and Internet connection at home. So when the Miami Beach Regional Library branch opens its doors at 9:30 a.m. on Fridays, Hoffmann finds one of the few computer stations not already claimed by a homeless person. His usual library, in Little River near Little Haiti, is closed Fridays, so he takes the bus to the Beach and uses the full two hours each user is allowed per day.

"Some things are affordable, and some things are not," said Hoffmann while checking his Yahoo e-mail account. "The money is a little thin, so I'd have to save up for a little while."

When school gets out, students without home access also join library computer lines. At some South Florida schools, computer access simply isn't available.

That's the case in North Lauderdale Elementary teacher Jennifer Hamel's second-grade classroom — even though a math computer program is part of the curriculum. School budget cuts resulted in reduced computer lab hours, so students now get only a 30-minute computer class every eight school days.

About half her students lack home access, she said, and they are struggling to keep up.

"You've got kids who already don't have computers at home, and they don't have real access to it at school. It's not adequate," she said.

Roughly 30 percent of South Floridians lack regular access to the Internet and 21 percent don't own a computer, according to a 2010 Scarborough Research survey. Miami-Dade is less wired than Broward, with 35.5 percent of Dade residents reporting they had no regular access to the Internet, compared to 23 percent of Broward. Miami-Dade is also slightly less connected than the nation as a whole: 22.7 percent of Americans are without access, according to the website Internet World Stats.

When it comes to communities in need, the numbers look even grimmer. Of the 758 homes in the Liberty Square Housing Project in Liberty City, only five families had broadband Internet access in 2009, the last time the area was polled. In that same year, about 2,000 students from the most underprivileged areas in Miami-Dade County reported to the School Board that they didn't have Internet access at home.

Part of the problem: Cash-strapped residents opt to spend their money elsewhere, said former Miami Mayor Manny Diaz, vice chairman of the Alliance for Digital Equality, one of several nonprofits aimed at providing widespread digital access.

"There are still people who don't fully grasp the importance of it in their lives," Diaz said. "This isn't a luxury item."

The proof:

Distressed Florida homeowners looking for help with their mortgages can apply for the state's new Hardest Hit Fund only via the Internet.

Unemployment applications are handled primarily online, though a phone option does exist during specific hours Monday through Thursday.

Social Security's yearly estimates for those who have yet to retire will be available only online, a move designed to save $70 million.

Applications for food assistance, temporary cash assistance, Medicaid and refugee assistance are handled online. Applicants without access can get a printed application — but they must first travel to one of the Department of Children & Families ACCESS Florida community partner offices or customer service centers.